Garment case with hanger-like support

ABSTRACT

A flexible garment case includes a rigid support member attached to its mid-section on one of its outer surfaces and a carrying handle on the opposite side connected to the support member whereby the case and its clothing contents can be neatly folded over the rigid support member and conveniently carried like a suitcase by the handle without substantial wrinkling of its contents and the carrying handle can be moved out of the way to facilitate the admission and removal of clothing when the garment case has been unfolded and suspended from a suitable fixture for this latter purpose.

United States Patent [191 Powell 51 June 5, 1973 [54] GARMENT CASE WITHHANGER-LIKE SUPPORT [76] Inventor: William D. Powell, 247 La Espiral,

Orinda, Calif. 94563 22 Filed: Sept.23, 1971 21 Appl.No.: 183,021

[52] U.S. Cl ..l90/43," l90/58 R, 190/57 [51] Int. Cl ..A45c 13/26 [58]Field of Search ..l90/43; 206/7 K,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,702,]05 Ritter .L ..l90/43Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Attorney-Charles M. Fryer, Rrmt H.Tjensvold,

Donald C. Feix et al.

[57] ABSTRACT 7 Claims, 11 Drawing Figures Patented June 5,19733,131,013

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WILLIAM 0. POWELL I ATTORNEYS Patented June 5, 19733,737,013

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F |G. 0 c

INVENTOR.

WI LLIAM D. POWELL BY (PRIOR ARI) ATTORNEYS GARMENT CASE WITHHANGER-LIKE SUPPORT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Modern day jet aircrafthas reduced the travel time between-even distant cities in the UnitedStates to a matter of hours rather than days and, as a result, oftenbusiness appointments even in distant cities can be arranged with onlythe necessity for a single change of clothes and an overnight stay awayfrom home. As this condition has reduced the amount of necessary luggagefor such trips, it has become the practice of many individuals whotravel to chose lightweight garment bags or cases which can be carriedon board most commercial jet aircraft so that the necessary luggage isalways easily accessible and quickly available to such a passenger whendeplaning without the necessity of passing through the conventionalluggage facilities.

Various lightweight plastic or fabric luggage bags or cases have beenpatented such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,740,506 and U.S.Pat. No. 2,887,196, both issued to Davis and U.S. Pat. No. 2,839,167issued to Smith. Such prior art garment bags and cases tend to be bulkyand are designed to carry far more luggage than is essential for anovernight business trip. Further such bags or cases are difficult tounfold and hang in the coat storage lockers in commercial jet aircraft,eliminating many of the conveniences experienced with the lightweightfabric or plastic bags now in use forcarrying garments on trips.

The simplest garment bag or case now in use is usually constructed oflightweight plastic or fabric material of a highly flexible characterwhich is sewn into rectangular bag-like shapes that can be placed aroundclothing hung on conventional hangers in a manner that the hooks of thehangers project through an aperture at the top of the bag or case. Thesesimple bags or cases, however, are difficult to carry by grasping theprojecting hanger hooks because of their inconvenient length anddiscomfort suffered when holding these projecting hooks in ones hand. Ahandle can be provided at the hanger end but the length of bag is suchthat it must be carried at shoulder height to avoid dragging on theground. Further, if the bag is folded in half and not centrallysupported through some external fixture, the clothes therein will becomedisarranged and severly wrinkled since they are not then suitablysupported within the bag.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a lightweightgarment bag or case of the aircraft carryon type which can be folded toa suitcase-like configuration for convenient transport without excessivewrinkling or disarrangement of clothing contained in such a lightweightbag and conveniently opened so it can be hung through use of a hangingattachment at one end.

Still, another feature of the instant invention is the provision of aninexpensive lightweight garment bag or case having adequate protectionfor the clothing plus carrying convenience without excessive weight orbulk.

Other objects, features, and advantages will be apparent in the drawingsand description of the invention herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above objects, features, and advantages canbe accomplished by a lightweight travel garment case having a centralhanger-like support which includes a case of flexible material with anelongated generally rectangular configuration, a rigid support memberoriented normal to longitudinal axis of the case and centrally attachedon an outer surface of one of the surfaces of the case, a carryinghandle disposed adjacent to the opposite side of the case and attachingmeans coupling the rigid support member with the carrying handle wherebyboth the bag and its contents can be neatly folded over the rigidsupport member on its outer surface to a suitcase-like configuration andconveniently carried by the handle on its opposite side to preventwrinkling and abuse of clothing within the case. The handle, which isnot physically attached to the case, is preferably flexibly or swingablyconnected to the rigid support member so that it can be swung out of theway when clothing is inserted into or removed from the case.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS F IG. 1 is a perspective of thegarment case with the handle disconnected from an end of the supportmemher and swung partly out of the way to facilitate access to theinterior of the garment case;

FIG. 2 is a broken-away perspective showing one type of attachment ofthe rigid suport member to the garment case;

FIG. 3 is a perspective of the garment case illustrated in FIG. 1 foldedin its transport or suitcase-like configuration; I

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate a simple catch and swingable connection,respectively, between the ends of the rigid support member and thehandle of the garment case illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate, respectively, an elevation and a broken-awaysection of an alternate swivel connection between the handle and therigid support member which allows the handle to be swung out of the wayfor access to the interior of the garment case;

FIG. 8 illustrates in perspective an alternate embodiment of the garmentbag wherein the rigid support bar or member has been modified to accepta handle supported by a flexible cord or cable;

FIGS. 9 and 10 are elevations which illustrate the detail between thehandle and the rigid support member or bar of the alternate embodimentshown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective of a prior art garment bag employing atop stiffening panel incorporating a handle for transport of the foldedbag.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 illustrates a travel garment case21, having a hanger-like support, in its open or unfolded position withthe elongated bag or case 21 in an upright position and suspended withhook 22 from rod A. The hook may be integrally attached to the top ofthe bag or case, or alternatively formed by a plurality of conventionalhanger hooks projecting from aperture 23 and the top of the bag or casefrom hangers disposed therein. In this latter situation it is desirablethat an edge zipper 24 interrupt the wall of the aperture to facilitatethe insertion or removal of clothes on conventional hangers in the bagor case.

At the center of mid-section of this flexible elongated case 21 a rigidsupport member or bar 25 is attached to its outer surface transverse tothe bags longitudinal axis. The attachment can be convenientlyaccomplished, as illustrated in FIG. 2, by sewing or otherwise securinga strip 26 of lightweight material or fabric on the outer surface of thebag to envelope the support member in a flexible sleeve across themiddle or midsection of this surface of the case. The sleeve could bemolded internally in the wall of the fabric, if plastic material isused, or the strip could be placed on the inside surface of the bag toapproximate an integral sleeve or pocket in this wall of the bag.Alternatively the support member or bar may be laced to the fabric ofthe case itself with appropriate lacings or attached in some suitablesimilar manner. The rigid support member or bar should be constructed ofwood, plastic or metal to avoid any substantial deflection along itslongitudinal axis when the garment case is being transported in itssuitcase-like configuration, as it is the load carrying elementconnected to the handle and any measurable deflection would causewrinkling of the clothing contents within the bag or case.

The suitcase-like configuration as illustrated in FIG. 3 shows how boththe bag and its contents are folded over the support member or bar 25 toachieve the hanger-like support that prevents the bunching or gatheringof the case fabric or material in the area of the fold. Since the bag isformed of a highly flexible material, both the material of the case andits clothing contents fold neatly over the support member as though itwere an extra large coat hanger.

To facilitate the transport of the garment case in its folded orsuitcase-like configuration a handle 27 is located on the side of thecase 21 opposite the support member or bar 25 and is connected only tothe support member or bar as shown in FIG. 1 in a manner that the handlecan be moved out of the way to provide a more convenient access to theinterior of the elongated bag to remove or admit clothing. In all theembodiments and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5, it can be seen thatthe handle is not directly attached to the elongated bag and that amovable attachment or connection of the handle to the rigid supportmember or bar is accomplished with the simple closed cable loop 28connecting their respective ends at one side of the case. Since thelength of the bar approximates the length of the support member the loopwill not bind on the edge of the bag. This swingable (movable)connection is located on the side of the case remote from the edgezipper 24, when an edged zip bag is employed, to avoid interference withthe admission or removal of clothing and on the opposite side of thecase the other ends of the support member or bar and the handle arejoined by a simple hook 29 and small ring 30 passing through a bore inthe support member that form a releasable catch which can beconveniently opened to allow the handle to be swung out of the way toclear the front surface of the case and easily closed when it isdesirable to transport the garment case in its folded or suitcaselikeconfiguration. A snap fastener could be employed to prevent inadvertentrelease of the handle.

It can be appreciated whether the zipper 24 is located along the edge ofthe garment case 21, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, or alternatively ina conventional inverted U-shaped configuration on the front surface ofthe garment bag 21 remote from the support member or bar, as illustratedin FIG. 8, it is desirable to move the handle 27 away from the frontsurface of the bag to provide convenient access to its interior. Furtherthe bag could have no zipper at all and employ overlapping flaparrangement (not shown), if desired.

An alternate embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 wherein therigid support member or bar 25' is connected to a handle 27' at only oneof its ends through a swivel 30. This swivel is formed by integralelbows 31 and 32 at the ends of the support member and handlerespectively which terminate in opposed circular surfaces 33 and 34. Theelbows are pivotally connected with the pin 35 passing through a bore inone of them and tapped into the other and one of the surfaces has araised lug 36 which is received in a cooperating notch 37 in theopposite surface when the handle and support member are in parallelalignment. Thus when the garment case 20 is being supported through itshandle the lug and notch arrangement will lock them in parallelalignment. The connection accomplished with the pin is such that a smallamount of lost motion is available between the several opposed surfaceswhich allows the lug to be displaced from the notch when the case is notsupported through the handle, thereby allowing the handle to swing awayfrom the front of the case as described above. Obviously there are othermechanical equivalents to the swivel mechanism described above whichcould be employed and that will allow the handle to be moved out of theway from the front surfaceof the garment case. Some such embodiments mayrequire that a rigid support bar rotate in the sleeve formed with strip26 so the handle will clear the front surface of the case.

A third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 8, 9 and 10wherein the support member 25" is fastened to the elongated case 21 insubstantially the same manner as described above and includes twointegral angled extensions 40 that project from its ends for couplingthe handle thereto. Adjacent to an end of one of these angled extensionsis a bore 41 and adjacent to the end of the opposite angled extension isa groove slot 42. An end of a flexible rope or. cable 43 can be threadedthrough bore 41 and a washer 44 and terminated in a manner whereby thebitter end of the rope or cable cannot pass through the aperture of thewasher. This cable or rope can then be threaded through a bore andhandle 45 and then through another washer 46 with its bitter end securedor terminated in the same manner asdescribed above. Due to the provisionof slot 42 at one end of the support member or bar the cable or rope canbe simply inserted in the slot when the garment bag is to be transportedin a folded or a suitcase-like configuration, thereby attaching thehandle to both ends of the support, member or bar.

It should be appreciated that the rigid support member can be modifiedto have the angular extension 40, referred to above, and that theseangular projections could be connected with straps to the edges of thebag to support the rigid support member or bar in the midsection of thebag. Obviously other equivalent attachments of the support member or barto the bag can be employed, depending upon the type of zipper or flapopening in its bag.

Utilization of the angular extension 40 prevents the flexible attachmentof the handle from binding on the edges of the bag and therefore willeliminate wrinkling and abuse of the garments contained in the bag.Obviously a rigid handle having a length approximately coextensive withthat of the support bar, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, alsoavoids the impingement of the handle attaching mechanisms on the edgesurfaces of the bag.

FIG. 11 illustrates a prior art bag or case 50, as disclosed in theaforementioned patents, which shows that the areas C where the foldoccurs in such bags or cases is irregular, with bunching of the fabricof the case in this area, as this area is unsupported. As a result thecases fabric tends to cause wrinkling and abuse of the clothing in theinterior of the bag or case even when they are supported by a separateinterior bag or member tied to the stiffening panel 51 to whichhandle'52 is permanently connected to transport the bag or case. Bycontrast the instant invention does not connect the handle to any partof the case but rather only to the support member or bar on its oppositeor back surface over which both the case and the contained clothing arefolded. in this manner substantial reductions in weight and costs areachieved while providing carrying convenience for the user.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 notches can be providedin the handle for carrying con: venience and hanging up the garment casein its folded condition.

What is claimed is:

l. A lightweight travel case having a hanger-like support featurecomprising:

a case of flexible material forming an elongated rectangular bag forsequestering garments therein and having an opening to admit and removesuch garments;

an elongated rigid supportmeans oriented normal to the longitudinal axisof said rectangular bag and attached to the central portion of one ofthe surfaces of said case;

a separate and independent hand carrying means on the opposite side ofsaid bag with respect to said elongated rigid support means, said handcarrying means being free of any direct physical connection with saidopposite side of said case; and

attaching means connecting said hand carrying means and said elongatedrigid support means whereby both said case and its' garment contents canbe folded over said elongated support member and supported solelythrough said hand carrying means, said attaching means beingdisconnectable at one side of said case allowing said hand carryingmeans and attaching means to be moved out of an interfering relationshipwith the opening to the interior of said case.

2. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated rigidsupport means projects beyond both 7 edges of the case and the attachingmeans includes a flexible connection between the hand carrying means andat least one end of said rigid support means.

3. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the attaching meansconnecting the hand. carrying means to the elongated support meansincludes a swiveling attachment means at one end.

4. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated rigidsupport means includes angular projections at its opposite ends and theattaching means is composed of a flexible filament means connecting thehand carrying means to said angular projection on opposite sides of saidbag.

5. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated supportmember is secured to the outer surface of the case with a fabric stripattached thereto forming a sleeve with said case for receiving saidelongated support member.

6. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the hand carrying meansis also formed by a rigid member having a lengthapproximating the lengthof the elongated rigid support means and the attaching means includestwo coupling members connecting the respective ends of said handcarrying means and said elongated rigid support means on opposite sidesof the bag, one of said coupling members being detachable to allow saidhand carrying means to be moved away from the adjacent front surface ofsaid bag to facilitate ingress thereto.

7. The travel case as defined in claim 6 wherein one of the couplingmembers is detachable and the other is flexible to facilitate moving theelongated rigid support member.

1. A lightweight travel case having a hanger-like support featurecomprising: a case of flexible material forming an elongated rectangularbag for sequestering garments therein and having an opening to admit andremove such garments; an elongated rigid support means oriented normalto the longitudinal axiS of said rectangular bag and attached to thecentral portion of one of the surfaces of said case; a separate andindependent hand carrying means on the opposite side of said bag withrespect to said elongated rigid support means, said hand carrying meansbeing free of any direct physical connection with said opposite side ofsaid case; and attaching means connecting said hand carrying means andsaid elongated rigid support means whereby both said case and itsgarment contents can be folded over said elongated support member andsupported solely through said hand carrying means, said attaching meansbeing disconnectable at one side of said case allowing said handcarrying means and attaching means to be moved out of an interferingrelationship with the opening to the interior of said case.
 2. Thetravel case as defined in claim 1 wherein the elongated rigid supportmeans projects beyond both edges of the case and the attaching meansincludes a flexible connection between the hand carrying means and atleast one end of said rigid support means.
 3. The travel case as definedin claim 1 wherein the attaching means connecting the hand carryingmeans to the elongated support means includes a swiveling attachmentmeans at one end.
 4. The travel case as defined in claim 1 wherein theelongated rigid support means includes angular projections at itsopposite ends and the attaching means is composed of a flexible filamentmeans connecting the hand carrying means to said angular projection onopposite sides of said bag.
 5. The travel case as defined in claim 1wherein the elongated support member is secured to the outer surface ofthe case with a fabric strip attached thereto forming a sleeve with saidcase for receiving said elongated support member.
 6. The travel case asdefined in claim 1 wherein the hand carrying means is also formed by arigid member having a length approximating the length of the elongatedrigid support means and the attaching means includes two couplingmembers connecting the respective ends of said hand carrying means andsaid elongated rigid support means on opposite sides of the bag, one ofsaid coupling members being detachable to allow said hand carrying meansto be moved away from the adjacent front surface of said bag tofacilitate ingress thereto.
 7. The travel case as defined in claim 6wherein one of the coupling members is detachable and the other isflexible to facilitate moving the elongated rigid support member.